RFC 10008: New HTTP QUERY Method Standard
Original: RFC 10008: The new HTTP Query Method
Why This Matters
Standardizes new HTTP method for safe, idempotent server requests; advances web protocol capabilities for API design.
IETF publishes RFC 10008 defining the HTTP QUERY method, enabling safe and idempotent request processing similar to POST but with automatic repetition capability without state change concerns.
RFC 10008, published in June 2026, introduces a new HTTP method called QUERY developed by authors J. Reschke, J.M. Snell, and M. Bishop. The specification defines QUERY as a method that requests the server process enclosed content in a safe and idempotent manner, returning the processing result. Unlike POST requests, QUERY requests can be automatically repeated or restarted without concern for partial state changes. The RFC is an Internet Standards Track document representing IETF community consensus and has been approved for publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). The specification covers media types and content negotiation, equivalent resources, response headers (Content-Location and Location), redirection, conditional requests, caching, and range requests. It also defines the Accept-Query header field for content negotiation and includes security considerations and IANA registration procedures. The document contains practical examples of simple queries, QUERY support discovery, format discovery, conditional requests, and various query formats. RFC 10008 aims to standardize a method that fills a gap between safe GET requests and state-changing POST requests.